Hi guys! Just wanted to know what y’all think is best ,for squirrel and rabbit 22 or 25cal? I’ve got a jts aircuda max 25cal & p3 in 25cal. Both do great for squirrels. I just set up a notos for my son & law for x-mass. I took it out twice and got two. One head shot and one vitals. Shot three others and vitals. all could run far enough to get inside a tree couldn’t recover. I’m really looking for something compact for hunting and was considering 22. Maybe I just need something with more power? What are y’all‘s thoughts? Any info is appreciated.
22 or 25 for squirrels
- Thread starter Airgunner79
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What type of distances are you shooting? I have a 25 cal I detuned to 35 fpe with the Hades and it's lights out 35 yards and closer.
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The South African boys shoot 22 only (it’s the law), and can take out monkeys at 100+ yards. I’d say 22 is just fine for squirrels and rabbits.
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Shot placement is key, how accurate is your notos, or how good are you at shooting the notos?
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I use .22 for all pesting. I've considered a.25 for G-hgs , but I've taken over 200 of them w/ my .22's . some were taken w/ pellets some w/ slugs . All were under 100yrds. My preferred range is 65& under . Head & neck shots usually are DRT, shoulder shots under 50 work well.
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I have 2 25s that have taken a total of 20 squirrels for me and 2 22s that have taken a combined 27. The main 25 is my P35-25 when is was tuned to 32 fpe shooting H&N FTT. It has taken 18 with only two that ran at all and they did not get far. Both were front of chest hits that I think only got one lung. The other 25 is an Avenger that has taken two DRT. It is over 40 fpe and overkill in my opinion. The lower power 22 is my Prod which is now tuned to about 18 fpe. A little less than a Notos. I only lost 1 squirrel with it at this power due a brain shot squirrel flipping itself into a rotted out tree. But squirrels sometimes would run a little after impact. I've taken 10 with my P35-22 tuned to 32 fpe. None have run at all. I always use simple domed pellets.
If you want them not to run I think either a 22 or a 25 at around 30 fpe will work as long as you place the shot decently. There might be a bit more margin for non optimal placement with the 25 but my 32 fpe 22 has worked great so far. But even a 177 works fine but it does seem to get runners on body shots that don't hit bone.
If you want them not to run I think either a 22 or a 25 at around 30 fpe will work as long as you place the shot decently. There might be a bit more margin for non optimal placement with the 25 but my 32 fpe 22 has worked great so far. But even a 177 works fine but it does seem to get runners on body shots that don't hit bone.
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I’m thinking 30fpe+ in 22 will be pretty good too. And as far as the notos at 35yrd zero.I’m having under 1/2” groups. And can consistently hit the bottom of a Vienna sausage can up to 65-70yrds. I think just not enough power to anchor them with a body shot.
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100's of squirrels and rabbits with both. Head shots drop them with a flip and a twitch or two. I base my decision on any given day onif I want to lug my heavy 25 Impact M3 or my nice little 22 cal Krait.
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I shot him about five seconds after posting my last replay. 35 yards with the 22 Krait. He's laying less than a foot from where I shot him.
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I grab the .25 for squirrels when it's windy or longer range shots are expected. Especially in my main hunting ground were animals are EXTREMELY wary of people. Wind blowing a 30gr slug or 34gr pellet with 55-62fpe is less likely to just badly injure the tree rat if blown off POA and strikes further left right up or down.
If I have clear calm conditions and expect shots to be all within 75y, I grab my notos Everytime. Probably why my notos has many many more squirrel souls on it than my main .25.
This was taken in high winds. I had her head on, relaxing on a high branch. I aimed at the top dead center of her head... A headwind gust blew the pellet down a good inch and entered the chest. Exited out the left hip. With a lighter .22 that might just been a slow slow death.
If I have clear calm conditions and expect shots to be all within 75y, I grab my notos Everytime. Probably why my notos has many many more squirrel souls on it than my main .25.
This was taken in high winds. I had her head on, relaxing on a high branch. I aimed at the top dead center of her head... A headwind gust blew the pellet down a good inch and entered the chest. Exited out the left hip. With a lighter .22 that might just been a slow slow death.
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.25 is definitely more forgiving for pesting. Hits harder & bucks the wind better but if you're confident in your marksmanship a .22 will get the job done.
My 1st shot hunting with my Bobcat .22 was at 102 yards, head shot, so they WILL work!
My 1st shot hunting with my Bobcat .22 was at 102 yards, head shot, so they WILL work!
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Like others have said, it’s all about placement. There’s a local pecan orchard where I’ve culled hundreds of gray squirrels, most between 30 and 40 yards, using a 12fpe .177. Roughly 95% of the time I stick to brain shots, and I freely admit a low power .177 is not what I want in my hands if I’m shooting them at 50 yards and beyond, or on a windy day, or for offhand shots, or any factor that diminishes my capacity to carefully place the shot.
I find a low-ish powered .22 (~20fpe) to be plenty good for squirrels out to 50 yards or so, for either brain shots or vitals. The trajectory is a bit loopy so it’s important to know the distance and proper holdover, and as a practical matter that may be too much of an impediment in some situations. I posted this pic in another thread yesterday...8 grays seen, 8 grays taken with 8 pellets using a 20fpe .22 just a few days ago.
Beyond that, I consider a 30fpe .22 to be about the top end I ever really need for tree squirrels. Almost never do I have shot opportunities beyond 65 yards or so, and wind isn’t so much of a problem where I am (southeastern US), so 30fpe gets the job done with basically no compromise as far as I’m concerned.
Whereas if I were out in the windy west shooting 100 yards at ground squirrels, pretty sure I would want a stout .25 or .30.
I find a low-ish powered .22 (~20fpe) to be plenty good for squirrels out to 50 yards or so, for either brain shots or vitals. The trajectory is a bit loopy so it’s important to know the distance and proper holdover, and as a practical matter that may be too much of an impediment in some situations. I posted this pic in another thread yesterday...8 grays seen, 8 grays taken with 8 pellets using a 20fpe .22 just a few days ago.
Beyond that, I consider a 30fpe .22 to be about the top end I ever really need for tree squirrels. Almost never do I have shot opportunities beyond 65 yards or so, and wind isn’t so much of a problem where I am (southeastern US), so 30fpe gets the job done with basically no compromise as far as I’m concerned.
Whereas if I were out in the windy west shooting 100 yards at ground squirrels, pretty sure I would want a stout .25 or .30.
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My XS60C rifle in .22 cal will easily take squirrels out to 35 yards at @ 19 fpe using 18 gn Apolo dome pellets. Nothing wrong with .25 cal (my Airforce Escape UL is shooting 30.89 pellets at 60 fpe and is my goto hunting rifle for the WMA.
Either will do the job, but the .25 makes me more comfortable at 50 yards and beyond especially if somewhat windy.
Either will do the job, but the .25 makes me more comfortable at 50 yards and beyond especially if somewhat windy.
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I have been seeing a trend that I just can’t wrap my head around. Why is everyone always talking FPE now. It keeps getting worse. First, it’s lazy on the person typing it. Just state your projectile and how fast it’s going. Don’t make a guy do backwards math and guess what you’re shooting. We don’t live across the pond and we don’t need to emulate their airgun talk. Second, I say I drop squirrels with my 30 FPE .22. Well am I dropping them with a 25.39 going 725fps or a 16 poly or Hades going 920fps. I promise you, the terminal performance between the two 30 FPE projectiles is substantial. Bragging about your gun that shoots 30, 54, 85 or 100 FPE tells everyone literally nothing meaningful. Our guns are a joke looking at the big picture FPE wise. A lowly 22lr is 125 FPE. We kill things with excellent shot placement and the best performing projectile our gun will shoot. Let’s start disclosing that instead of generally speaking using FPE. Rant over.
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I have great success popping them in the vitals with a .177 10g pellet @ 730~fps Helps to have a ballistic software that can give velocity and energy calcs over a given distance. So you know what distance you should not take a shot. My primary gun is R5m .22 with 15g pellets at 770.
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Well how about .25 49.2 gr AEA slug at 940fps, those ground squirrels will die......IF 1. they ever pop up and 2. IF I can hit them.
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